Kindergarten Newsletter for February 23rd - 27th, 2015

Recap Of Last Week: We spent our week doing activities to celebrate that we had passed the 100^th Day of school this year. We had so much fun showing 100 in different ways, counting to 100, and of course with our exhibitions for the 100^th Day Museum!

Math: This week we will begin subtraction. We will play a fun subtraction game called Subtraction Munchies, where students will start with a quantity of rice chex and then eat some to experience the meaning of ‘take away.’

Literacy: Remember to encourage your students to ‘sound out’ words you encounter in your daily lives. Children are often surprised to discover there is writing all around them in their world and not only in school!

Writing: We are really seeing students feel pride in their work when they get to ‘publish’ the stories they have written by reading them aloud to the rest of the class. We are working on making sure to use finger spaces between our words.

Social Studies, Art & Science: This week we will be learning about Dental Health. We will talk about ways to take care of our teeth and do an experiment with some hardboiled eggs to show how important brushing really is. On Thursday, we will be lucky to have a visitor (Noah’s mom, Kristin) coming in to talk to us about our teeth and why we go to the dentist.

LAPSK Auction Night: The theme of our basket is going to be ‘Kindergarten’s Favorite Things.’ Watch for a sign-up sheet outside the classroom to donate items that the students have chosen as some of their favorite items from this year. We will take your voluntary dontations up until April 1^st. Then mark your calendars for Saturday April 18^th and make plans to join us for the LAPSK Silent Auction & Dinner at Big Al’s. The student who returns the most box tops by Friday February 27^th will receive a free ticket to the Auction! Ticket prices are $18 per person or $34 per couple until April 10^th. After that they will be $22 per person or $40 per couple. This is an adult-only night, and a night where we can have lots of fun, play games and have a good time. **Families who purchase auction tickets will get free bowling coupons.

Family Fun night / Dr. Seuss Celebration: On Friday, February 27^th, we will have a free evening of family fun from 5:30-7:00. There will be activities with a Dr. Seuss theme and a dance party! Bring the whole family and enjoy some free family fun.

Other Fundraisers:

- Box Tops for Education,

- Fred Meyer (you can support our school by going to https://www.fredmeyer.com/topic/community-rewards-4 and adding Little Acorn to your rewards account),

- Scholastic Book Orders (http://www.scholastic.com/ our school code is GX4F3),

- Usborne Book Fair: We get to continue our Usborne Book Fair. Watch for flyers with more information coming home this week. Our efair code is: https://n3313.myubam.com/64160 We are about ½ way to our goal for free books!!

- Shoparoo: Little Acorn is now a member of Shoparoo (shoparoo.com). You can download the Shoparoo App to earn points for our school.

Volunteering: If you would like to volunteer in class and come see what your Kindergartner is doing, we would love to have you on Fridays. Your time in class is very helpful and you get a chance to see what our day is like and how your child is interacting. A sign-up sheet is outside the classroom.

Sickness: If your Kindergartener is sick, please call the school office, or you can send me an email or a text so we can keep track of illnesses.

Please feel free to contact me if you have questions or concerns. Send a text, give me a call, or you can email. I am here to help you and your child have a great kindergarten year!

Thank you for sharing your child with us,

Teacher Sinead & Teacher Caroline

Dates to remember:

February:

27th	Family Fun Night 5:30-7:00pm

March

2nd	Tuition due
10th	Tuition grace period ends
17th	Hough St. Paddys Day parade
19th	Kindred
21st	Family Breakfast and Art Show
21st-27th	Scholastic Book Fair

April

18th	Auction/Dinner at Big Al’s

Tuition Prices 2014-2015 School Year

2 days a week $190.00 a month

3 days a week $245.00 a month

4 days a week $300.00 a month

5 days a week $355.00 a month

Kindergarten $405.00 a month

Kindergarten Newsletter for February 16th - February 20th, 2015

*** NO SCHOOL MONDAY the 16^th for PRESIDENT’S DAY! ***

Recap Of Last Week: We did lots of valentine crafts, discussed and wrote about how we show our feelings, and worked on 1 more and 1 less in math.

100th Day Museum: Tuesday will be our 100^th day of school this year. Watch out for our display of Ways to Show 100 in our hallway!

Math: We will be doing lots of activities about the number 100. We will write to 100, fill in missing numbers on a 100 chart, do some graphing, and build with 100 cups.

Literacy: Remember to practice reading with your kindergartner at home. Use the mini books we send home from school, so your child can show you how he/she is doing. When reading, remind your student to track along with their pointing finger so you can see where they are. As they become better readers, students are often eager to stop tracking but are not yet able to read without omitting or mixing up words.

Writing: This week we will concentrate on our 100^th day theme. On the 100^th day of school all of us will write about things we want to do before turning 100.

Social Studies, Art & Science: We will be making some art about 100. We will also read about why we celebrate President’s Day and do an art project too. Thursday is Chinese New Year, so we will make Chinese lanterns.

Laps for LAPS: We had lots of fun at Laps for LAPS. Thank you to those of you who came along and made this event a success. Remember to turn in any pledge sheets.

Family Fun night / Dr. Seuss Celebration: On Friday, February 27^th, we will have a free evening of family fun from 5:30-7:00. There will be activities with a Dr. Seuss theme  and a dance party! Bring the whole family and enjoy some free family fun.

LAPSK Auction Night: Mark your Calendars for Saturday April 18^th and make plans to join us for the LAPSK Auction/Dinner at Big Al’s. We will be putting together an auction basket as a classroom for the silent auction. If you would like to be in charge of organizing this, let me know. We need to pick a theme, collect donations from Kindergarten families and then put it together. This would count as volunteer time.

Other Fundraisers:

- Box Tops for Education,

- Fred Meyer (you can support our school by going to https://www.fredmeyer.com/topic/community-rewards-4 and adding Little Acorn to your rewards account),

- Scholastic Book Orders (http://www.scholastic.com/ our school code is GX4F3),

- Shoparoo: Little Acorn is now a member of Shoparoo (shoparoo.com). You can download the Shoparoo App to earn points for our school.

Volunteering: If you would like to volunteer in class and come see what your Kindergartner is doing, we would love to have you on Fridays. Your time in class is very helpful and you get a chance to see what our day is like and how your child is interacting. A sign-up sheet is outside the classroom.

Sickness: If your Kindergartener is sick, please call the school office, or you can send me an email or a text so we can keep track of illnesses.

Please feel free to contact me if you have questions or concerns. Send a text, give me a call, or you can email. I am here to help you and your child have a great kindergarten year!

Thank you for sharing your child with us,

Teacher Sinead & Teacher Caroline

Dates to remember:

February:

17th	100th Day of School
19th	Kindred – Singing to Grandmas & Grandpas
27th	Family Fun Night 5:30-7:00pm

March

17th	Hough St. Paddys Day parade
21st	Family Breakfast and Art Show

April

18th	Auction/Dinner at Big Al’s

Tuition Prices 2014-2015 School Year

2 days a week $190.00 a month

3 days a week $245.00 a month

4 days a week $300.00 a month

5 days a week $355.00 a month

Kindergarten $405.00 a month

Kindergarten Newsletter for February 9th - 13th, 2015

Recap Of Last Week: We discussed camouflage in relation to animals that live in snowy areas. Watch out for our snowy owls that we made as part of this topic. We also learned that you can write number sentences ‘standing tall’ (vertically) not just ‘side-to-side’ (horizontally).

Math: We will continue working on the concept of greater and less. We did an activity last week where students had to figure out from clues what number we were talking about. It really challenged all of us, so we are going to be doing a lot more of this type of activity. As we are getting ready for the 100^th Day of school, we will also be practicing filling in missing numbers on a 100 chart! 

Literacy: Students are really making great strides in their reading and writing ability. When you are reading with them at home, please try to encourage them to ‘sound out’ their words aloud. In reading group, we are talking about sounding out words in a ‘bumpy’ way, like ‘c-a-t,’ and in a smooth way, like ‘caaaat.’ Being able to sound out both ways is important. Smooth helps their brains put the word together. And bumpy helps transfer the sounds they are learning in reading into their writing time. 

Writing: I hope you enjoyed seeing some of the writing your student has been doing. It is so much fun to see them putting their ideas on paper. Please remember that we tell them to ‘guess and go’ so as to build confidence as a writer. For this reason, we ‘publish’ exactly what they wrote, not changing verb tenses or adding any omitted words. With this being Valentine’s week, we are going to be talking about feelings. To go along with this our prompts this week will be ‘When I feel angry I …’ and ‘When I feel happy I …’

Social Studies, Art & Science: As mentioned above we will be learning about emotions and feelings this week. Often students know how to react appropriately when they feel positive feelings, such as love or happiness, but not with negative emotions such as jealousy and anger. We will read some books about feelings and discuss how we know the way the characters feel. We will also finish decorating our Valentine’s  boxes and have our Valentine’s Party on Friday.

100th Day Homework: The 100^th Day of School will be Tuesday February 17^th. Remember to turn in your project by Wednesday the 11^th. That will give us a chance to set up a display for the whole school to see.

Laps for LAPS: Have folks sponsor your child per lap or a set amount, then come on Thursday, February 12^th from 5:30-7:00 and have your Kindergartner “run” their laps upstairs in Jason Lee Hall. We will have water to keep kids hydrated and a take home surprise for participating.

LAPSK Auction Night: Mark your Calendars for Saturday April 18^th and make plans to join us for the LAPSK Auction/Dinner at Big Al’s. We will be putting together an auction basket as a classroom for the silent auction. If you would like to be in charge of organizing this, let me know. We need to pick a theme, collect donations from Kindergarten families and then put it together. This would count as volunteer time.

Family Fun night: This month we have a free evening of family fun planned for Friday, February 27^thfrom 5:30-7:00. We will be celebrating Dr.Seuss with fun activities and a dance party! Bring the whole family and enjoy some free family fun.                                      

Other Fundraisers:

- Box Tops for Education, 

- Fred Meyer (you can support our school by going to https://www.fredmeyer.com/topic/community-rewards-4 and adding Little Acorn to your rewards account), 

- Scholastic Book Orders (http://www.scholastic.com/ our school code is GX4F3), 

- Shoparoo: Little Acorn is now a member of Shoparoo (shoparoo.com). You can download the Shoparoo App to earn points for our school. 

Volunteering: If you would like to volunteer in class and come see what your Kindergartner is doing, we would love to have you on Fridays. Your time in class is very helpful and you get a chance to see what our day is like and how your child is interacting. I will be putting out a sign-up sheet in the hallway for dates/times. 

Winter Attire: Please send your kindergartner to school with coats and footwear appropriate for the weather. Even hats and gloves/mittens are needed on some days as this week has shown us! Remember we go outside as much as we can, as long as it is not too cold and there is not too much of a downpour.

Sickness: If your Kindergartener is sick, please call the school office, or you can send me an email or a text so we can keep track of illnesses. 

Weather Related School Closures: Remember, if Vancouver School District declares a 2 Hour Late Start or is Closed, then our school will be closed too. In case of bad weather, watch for emails and/or text message notifications from Little Acorn and from our Remind.com accounts. The Remind.com number for Little Acorn is 307-459-3175, class code lapsk20. For Kindergarten, the number is 503-342-8657, class code @473363.

Please feel free to contact me if you have questions or concerns. Send a text, give me a call, or you can email. I am here to help you and your child have a great kindergarten year!

Thank you for sharing your child with us,

Teacher Sinead & Teacher Caroline

Dates to remember:

February:

10th	Tuition Grace Period Ends
12th	Laps for LAPS 5:30-7:00pm
13th	Class Valentine’s Day Party
16th	President’s Day – No School
17th	100th Day of School
19th	Kindred – Singing to Grandmas & Grandpas
27th	Family Fun Night 5:30-7:00pm

March

17th	Hough St. Paddys Day parade
21st	Family Breakfast and Art Show

Tuition Prices 2014-2015 School Year

2 days a week $190.00 a month

3 days a week $245.00 a month

4 days a week $300.00 a month

5 days a week $355.00 a month

Kindergarten $405.00 a month

Kindergarten Newsletter for February 2nd - February 6th, 2015

Recap Of Last Week: We had so much fun reading and retelling Laura Numeroff’s books ‘If You Give A Dog A Donut,’ ‘If You Give A Cat A Cupcake,’ ‘If You Give A Moose A Muffin’ and ‘If You Give A Mouse A Cookie.’ We also connected this to our measurement theme in math, and took turns measuring out all the ingredients to make muffins. We ended the week by measuring how tall we each are with a football!

Math: We will finish up measurement this week and learn about estimating. We will also do some review using the math words ‘greater than,’ ‘less than,’ ‘fewer than,’ and ‘equals.’ We are also going to learn that we can write number sentences vertically (tall) as well as horizontally (side to side), which is what students have seen up until now.

Literacy: We are going to finish up our Laura Numeroff stories with ‘If You Give A Pig A Pancake’ and we will compare and contrast the all the different stories we read. During reading rotations we will be working on some rhyming word activities and finding the vowel sounds.

Writing: The class is doing an amazing job coming up with their own stories during our Writer’s Workshop. It is so exciting to see them sounding out their words and the pride they take in the work they are doing. We will be sending some of these stories home for you to see your student’s progress this week. This week they will also work on the prompts ‘My favorite food is …’ and ‘I like to play …’

Social Studies, Art & Science: We didn’t quite finish ‘dressing’ our silhouettes in winter clothes last week, so we will get that done this week. We will also learn about Groundhog’s Day and talk about hibernation. Later in the week we will talk about animals that don’t hibernate, but use camouflage to help them survive the snowy winter. We will learn about the Snowy Owl and make a picture of one.

100th Day Homework: We are quickly approaching the 100^th Day of School. We will be sending home a project this week. Please help your Kindergartner show 100 in different ways. We will put the completed projects on display in the hall for everyone to see. There will be some ideas suggested on the homework note, but please encourage your student to use their imagination!

Open House: As you know we had Open House last week for families to come explore classrooms. Even though this is officially over, you may still see some parents coming to check out our classroom for next fall. Please feel free to share your experience in the Kindergarten class with them. We are really hoping to have our Kindergarten class next year. If you know other families who would like to come check out our school, let them know that this is a perfect chance to see what all the classes are like here and what they offer.

Registration: In-house (current students) will be this Wednesday, February 4^th at 9:15 upstairs in Jason Lee. There will be a ‘first come first served’ number drawing starting at 8:45am. There will be coffee and snacks available for people waiting to register. Open registration begins Friday, February 6^th at 9:15am outside Teacher Katie’s office. ***Families who register for a PM class, will be asked to provide a second choice for a morning class in the case that there is low enrollment for the afternoons. ***

Laps for LAPS: February 12^th from 5:30-7:00pm. Pledge sheets went home in cubbies last week. This is a really fun event where students can walk/run laps upstairs in Jason Lee to support our school. Students can be sponsored by the number of laps they complete, or in one amount for taking part.

Other Fundraisers:

- Box Tops for Education,

- Fred Meyer (you can support our school by going to https://www.fredmeyer.com/topic/community-rewards-4 and adding Little Acorn to your rewards account),

- Scholastic Book Orders (http://www.scholastic.com/ our school code is GX4F3),

- Shoparoo: Little Acorn is now a member of Shoparoo (shoparoo.com). You can download the Shoparoo App to earn points for our school.

Winter Attire: Please send your kindergartner to school with coats and footwear appropriate for the weather. Even hats and gloves/mittens are needed on some days as this week has shown us! Remember we go outside as much as we can, as long as it is not too cold and there is not too much of a downpour.

Sickness: If your Kindergartener is sick, please call the school office, or you can send me an email or a text so we can keep track of illnesses.

Weather Related School Closures: Remember, if Vancouver School District declares a 2 Hour Late Start or is Closed, then our school will be closed too. In case of bad weather, watch for emails and/or text message notifications from Little Acorn and from our Remind.com accounts. The Remind.com number for Little Acorn is 307-459-3175, class code lapsk20. For Kindergarten, the number is 503-342-8657, class code @473363.

Please feel free to contact me if you have questions or concerns. Send a text, give me a call, or you can email. I am here to help you and your child have a great kindergarten year!

Thank you for sharing your child with us,

Teacher Sinead & Teacher Caroline

Dates to remember:

February:

1st	Tuition Due
4th	In House Registration @ 9:15am upstairs in Jason Lee
6th	Open Registration
10th	Tuition Grace Period Ends
12th	Laps for LAPS 5:30-7:00pm
13th	Class Valentine’s Day Party
16th	President’s Day – No School
17th	100th Day of School
19th	Kindred – Singing to Grandmas & Grandpas
27th	Family Fun Night 5:30-7:00pm

Tuition Prices 2014-2015 School Year

2 days a week $190.00 a month

3 days a week $245.00 a month

4 days a week $300.00 a month

5 days a week $355.00 a month

Kindergarten $405.00 a month